This is a collection of news about border issues, particularly those seen from Arizona and regarding the right to keep and bear arms. Sources often include Mexican media. It's often interesting to see how different the view is from the south.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

AZMEX POLICY 24-1-12

Zetas, the cartel that grew the most in 2011: StratforThe growth of "Los Zetas" has been much higher than expected, despite the federal forces' offensive against the violent cartel.

MEXICO CITY (SUN) The growth of "Los Zetas" has been much higher than expected, despite the federal forces' offensive against the violent cartel. The former armed wing of the Gulf cartel has become a criminal organization that operates in most of Mexico, more than the Sinaloa cartel.

Meanwhile, the once powerful cartels of the Carrillo Fuentes and the Arellano Félix, are just a shadow of what they were a decade ago, and now they play just as subsidiaries of the group led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, finding them unable to recover on their own in which were once strongholds, such as Juarez and Tijuana.

These and other considerations are Strategic Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor) on the scene last year in terms of organized crime in Mexico, among which include a poor prognosis in which he says related violence persist from drug trafficking in the country.

According to a report by the Office of Special Investigations into Organized Crime of the Attorney General of the United States cited by the consultant, "Los Zetas" now operate in 17 states of Mexico, surpassing the Sinaloa cartel has been downward since occupies only 16 of the 23 states in which developed its activities in 2005.

The cartel formed by ex-soldiers also managed to control the state of Zacatecas, and Durango keeps stalking, a state that is characterized by maintaining the operations of the Sinaloa cartel.

The expansion of "Los Zetas", says Stratfor, represents a great risk from rising violence in areas of Mexico. In the case of Zacatecas, Sinaloa cartel could try to recover the territory it once held, while in Durango would be fighting to keep away the "zetas" cells of the state. Guadalajara is still one of the hot spots, as the organization of "El Chapo" defend the city from raids of "Los Zetas."

The analysis does not provide greater risks to those already mentioned for the Sinaloa cartel with the growth of "Los Zetas", but notes that the Sinaloa Federation remains stable, and may even be expanding its operations in methamphetamine production to countries Central America and Guatemala.

The Carrillo and Arellano, weaker

The strength of Guzman Loera drug cartel also helped reduce the rates of violent killings in Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana, this due to the hegemony that it keeps on Carrillo Fuentes family and Arellano Felix, organizations who continue to weaken.

"Vicente Carrillo still controls the three main entry points for drugs to El Paso, Texas, but their organization seems unable to expand their operations or moving narcotics in large quantities in their areas due to the pressure of the Sinaloa cartel."

For Stratfor, the Juarez cartel "is only a shadow of the organization that was a decade ago, and his weakness and inability to counter the inroads of the Sinaloa cartel in Juarez helped to lower rates of violence in 2011," says report.

The same mechanics, says the analysis, are in Tijuana in 2011, where the cartel of the Arellano Felix was "weak and powerless remain as a subsidiary of the Sinaloa Federation, unable to claim the Plaza of Tijuana alone."

Narcos have polarized; Zetas control the east and Chapo the west: StratforThe former group of assassins for the Gulf cartel is the highest growth in 2011, he said.La JornadaPosted: 24/01/2012 16:32ttp://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2012/01/24/163259631-narco-se-ha-polarizado-zetas-controlan-el-este-y-chapo-el-oeste-stratffor

Mexico, DF. Drug trafficking in Mexico has been polarized, with the Sinaloa cartel controlling the western and Los Zetas the eastern, said the Stratfor security consultancy specializing in its annual report, which also found that the latter group is the highest growth in 2011.

"Although much has been said about the flow of Mexican cartel landscape, these two groups have emerged as the dominant forces in the country," and who once were powerful cartels have been aligned to one of two groups, said Stratfor.

According to the International Agency for safety analysis, to attract other criminal groups to its ranks, the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas employ asymmetric strategies that can be summarized as "silver or lead."

The cartel led by Chapo Guzman, says Stratfor, prefer to buy alliances and supporters, as the group Los Zetas made ​​up mostly of former military opts for the "lead" or coercion, and power based on force and fear.

With these strategies, in 2011 the Zetas have been operating in 17 states, while the Sinaloa cartel would do so only in 16, against the 23 states they served in 2005.